


Prinxiety Fluff One-Shots

by BurrSir_1776



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders is a Little Shit, Eventual Romance, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Human Sides (Sanders Sides), M/M, No Plot/Plotless, No Smut, One Shot, Prince Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Prinxiety - Freeform, Teen Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2020-09-23 19:49:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20345731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurrSir_1776/pseuds/BurrSir_1776
Summary: Some fun one-shots for Prinxiety. Most are fluffy, I try to be comedic, and some are angsty. No smut, and I update as frequently as possible. Enjoy!!





	1. Last Room- Fluff

A/N- This one's not so angsty so enjoy! I know it's a reasonable opportunity for smut but not in this household XD Also some swearing sorry lol

(Virgil's POV)

We pulled up to the hotel, the sun hanging low in the sky, casting an orange glow over the rickety looking hotel. I slid out of the car, stretching to shake out that long-car-ride stiffness. I really hate small spaces. Patton, who was driving, went in to book our rooms while we got our bags out from the back. 

Roman swung the door to the hatchback up quickly, almost hitting me in the head. I saw it coming and ducked out of the way just in time, feeling the whoosh of air past my ear as it flew by my head. "Watch yourself, princey." Roman froze with his hand on the car for a moment. I couldn't see his face as he was looking into the trunk. I could have sworn I saw the tops of his ears go red but after a fleeting moment, he went back to pulling out the duffel bags and backpacks we had packed for the road trip. 

Patton soon returned, cheerily holding up two- no that can't be right- two room keys and beaming at us all standing tiredly by the car weighed down by bags. Logan was muttering under his breath as he collected spilled vocab cards from the pavement.

"Alright, kiddos! They only had two rooms left for tonight so we'll be pairing off and sharing rooms. Since I drove, I want to pick first. I wanna share with..."

No no no, don't leave me with R-

"Logan!!" Patton squealed delightedly, handing him a key. Logan shuffled off to their room, struggling under the weight of his multiple briefcases. Patton playfully tossed the second room key in my direction. I let it bounce off my chest and fall to the floor because my hands were full and there was no way I'd get my bags down in time. I hear a faint snicker beside me and shot a glare at Roman, who just grinned in response. He bent down and picked up the hey while I resisted the urge to kick him with my boot.

Patton left to go settle into the room he was sharing, and Roman led the way to our room. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. The hotel looked like it was about to fall apart and was probably filled with about fifty ghosts and demons galore and Roman was a nightmare of a person and horrible to be around, but maybe it could be okay. I tried to brush off a million things that would inevitably bother me about this weekend away, but it still nagged at the back of my head. Silver linings, Virgil, come on. I have to share a room with this eccentric mess, but at least there would be two be-

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." The words dropped out of my mouth as Roman pushed the creaky door open. The room was tiny, with cracked baby blue paint on the walls and very little furniture save for a nightstand, a dresser and a lamp to the side of the

One.

Goddamn.

Bed.

(Roman's POV)

Oh, no. 

In the middle of the room was one single bed. I was supposed to not only share a room but now a BED with him?! Good grief. 

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Virgil's voice sounded menacing. I jumped a tiny bit, instantly regretting it and hoping he didn't see me. I sighed deeply and walked into the room, trying my best to seem unbothered. I tossed my bags and began unpacking my clothes, putting them into the top drawer.

"I get top drawer!" I called out. He scowled at me in response, dropped his bags on the other side of the bed and walked into the bathroom, one bag in tow. He left it in there and returned, sitting on the floor and pulling out a sketchbook. I was bored, and nagging Virgil is always a good cure, so I flopped onto the bed, hanging my head over and staring down at the page he was working on. Expecting to ridicule it, I was taken aback by the utter beauty of the sketch. It was so realistic, expressing real emotion, and it looked familiar... was that...- me?

(Virgil's POV) 

I was contently sketching, usually a coping mechanism when I get a little too anxious, when I looked up to see Roman staring intently at my sketchbook, eyes wide. Oh shit. I pushed his head away roughly and closed my sketchbook, sticking it inside my bag. Had he seen what I was drawing?? It was a sketch of him, oh my god noooo.

"Get away from me. What m-makes you think you can snoop around like that?!" I snapped, attempting to hide the shakiness in my voice but failing miserably. My breath quickened slightly as the panic set in, but I held it at bay for the time being. Besides, there was nowhere for me to go if I freaked out. I pushed myself into the corner of the room and ran my hands through my hair a few times. I had to calm down.

"Breathe, Virge." His voice was calming and steady, but I was still nervous. I looked up and started. Roman was standing over me, a sympathetic smile on his face as he extended a hand to help me up. Reluctantly, I took it and pulled myself onto my feet. We were close then. Dangerously close. I could feel his breath on my face. He looked into my eyes, and I gazed into his. The sun from the window hit his eyes at the perfect angle and I could see every fleck of color within them. Gold sparkled in his brown eyes, hints of green visible in the late afternoon sun. His eyes were pretty. So pretty. 

After a long moment, I came back to my senses, calmer, and stepped hurriedly away from him, praying that my face hadn't betrayed what I was thinking. 

We didn't have much daylight left to do anything that day, so I took my sketchbook and wandered out to the back of the hotel, where there was a view of a long farmer's field. It was quiet, and I could be alone there. I had a sneaking suspicion I'd be spending a fair amount of the weekend perched on the stacks of cinderblocks, drawing. I had been drawing Roman that day. His face was just... pleasing to the artist's eye. I liked drawing it. If anyone found out about that they'd ridicule me, call me stupid, ask me if I like him... which I don't. 

Eventually, the sun had set to the point where I couldn't properly see what I was doing anymore. I picked up my sketchbook and wandered back inside, taking my sweet time. I didn't want to be in the room with him anyway. 

I walked into the room to find Roman sprawled across the bed on his phone, lost to the world. I elected to avoid conversation. It was around 9:30 pm now, so I wouldn't be asleep anytime soon. I refused to so much as look at a pencil in that room after the incident with Roman, so I took out my laptop and opened Tumblr. I scrolled through endless text posts and memes until he finally decided he was going to bed.

"I'm getting ready for bed, panic at the everywhere. You should too." Despite the insult, there was a small amount of concern in his voice. As if he cared whether or not I got enough sleep. I ignored his suggestion and continued to browse Tumblr. Roman rolled his eyes and sighed defeatedly, going into the bathroom. 

A few minutes later, he returned in red and white pyjamas, looking noticeable more tired. It took me a moment to pinpoint what exactly was causing that, and when I did I let out a snort. He had been wearing concealer and... mascara? Wow. I guess that should have been expected from him. I pondered making a cruel joke but left it, going to get in my pyjamas as well.

(Roman's POV)

Virgil had just gone into the bathroom to get ready for bed when I realized that I had left my phone in the bathroom. I whispered "Dammit" under my breath and walked over to the door, knocking softly. "Virge? I left my phone in there. I'm coming in to g-" I opened the door to the bathroom and stopped dead. Virgil was standing in front of the mirror, in a pair of black and purple pyjama pants, and very much lacking a shirt. He was skinny, but lean muscle stretched over his thin frame. I felt my face grow hot and I stuttered out a small "u-uh-" before he looked up from the sink at me through the mirror and slammed the door shut in my face. In that moment, I completely forgot about my phone. I ran over to the bed and buried my face in it, hot-faced and frustrated. That. That was the epitome of embarrassment. 

(Virgil's POV) 

Did that actually just happen? Roman just barged in on me... shirtless. Eugh. I shook off the feeling and looked back up into the mirror, a dark blush settling in on my cheeks. I resisted the urge to yell at him, got changed and went back into the room. I exhaled heavily and reluctantly sat down on my side of the bed. He was lying face down with his head in a pillow, very tense. I ignored him and leaned back on the headboard with my laptop in hand, with Tumblr already open. Roman reached over and turned the light out. The glow of my laptop washed over me. I squinted, turning down the brightness quickly and rubbing my eyes to adjust them to the sudden light change. His breathing soon evened out. He stopped tossing and turning and it became apparent that he was asleep. After a few hours, I shut off my laptop and lied down, my back facing Roman. Sleep soon took hold, and before I knew it, morning had arrived.

(Roman's POV)

It took forever for Virgil to fall asleep. In fact, I passed out before he even turned his laptop off. I tossed and turned for a while, hoping he'd fall asleep before me. My hopes were in vain, as he showed no sign of tiring. No part of me wanted to be asleep in the same room as Virgil. What if I talk in my sleep? He'd find me annoying and I'd hear no end of it. Several times I snuck small glances at Virgil, but the pale blue light of his laptop never stopped. Eventually I just gave in. Sleep was inevitable regardless. 

I woke up several hours later to light streaming through the window. There was an odd pressure over my shoulder. I turned my head ever so slightly to see a pale arms clad in black fabric draped over my side. I jumped a bit, and Virgil shifted in his sleep. Afraid of waking him, I stayed where I was. He'd wake up in due time. Plus, this wasn't terribly uncomfortable. It was... an accident. He moved during the night. Yeah.

An hour or so later, Virgil started stirring awake. I quickly shut my eyes and put my phone by my side, pretending I was still asleep. May as well save him the embarrassment of seeing my reaction. I hid my face and heard the bedsprings creak as he sat up quickly, evidently realizing the awkward position we were both in. I chose this as a good time to "wake up". I stretched and yawned loudly to make my consciousness known. A well-expected jump from Virgil ensued.

"Uh. Hi. Morning." he said, a sleepy smile on his face. His hair was a mess, sticking up on end in some places and plastered to his head in others. The light caught it, giving the strands a golden glow as he tiredly ran his hands through it. This was such a good time to get him flustered. 

"Your bedhead is really cute, you know." I put a sly grin on my face, waiting for his response.

"Yeah? Ya think so? You do say some pretty cute things in your sleep yourself." His response was quite jarring. He definitely won that round. I looked down, unable to meet his eye. I could practically feel the grin on his face as he took a step closer to me, leaning his knee against the end of the bed.


	2. The Book- super fluffy

It was Christmas time. We were all sitting around the tree, exchanging gifts. Patton was bouncing up and down gleefully. Logan was precisely peeling the tape off of each piece of wrapping paper and folding it. I grinned over at Roman who looked at me meaningfully as he passed me his gift. It was weighted and rectangular with hard edges.

A book?

I waited until the others had their gifts then excitedly tore the paper off mine, revealing a beautiful copy of "The Fault in Our Stars". I gasped at the sheer beauty of the book. It had gold leaf along the sides of the pages. The cover was a deep navy blue with gold lettering, and the familiar logo of the famous novel was plastered on the front cover. I loved that book. It was so beautifully written, each sentence strung together carefully creating music to my ears. A smile split my face. Roman and I had been an item for a while now. Two and a half years, to be more specific. We knew quite a lot about each other, and if there was one thing he had to know, it was that I loved to read with all my heart. It was my escape from reality, from the hell that was so often my life. When I was anxious, sad or angry, a good book would take me to another land where I could live out the lives of other characters until I had calmed down again. One of my favorite books of all time was "The Fault in Our Stars". He had watched me read it time and time again, reliving the emotional rollercoaster. Sometimes, I was moved to tears. Other times, laughter. Some of my fondest memories with Roman are laying down, my head in his lap, with a book in hand while he played with my hair. They were memories that made my stomach all twisty. The memories that sent shivers down my spine and put a warm feeling deep inside my chest. That was what happy felt like. That was what love felt like.

This rendition of the book was like no other. It was gorgeous, regal if you will, and definitely gave me a reason to reread the book. Without ridicule, hopefully. Logan often liked to comment on the "redundancy of reading the same piece of literature repeatedly", but I didn't care. I set it close beside me and handed my gift to Patton, a handmade card and "Number one Dad" mug, things I knew he'd cherish as the gesture rather than the material objects.

Christmas was a good time for everyone. We were all in good spirits. Patton got to enjoy everything he would daily, with an added flourish of red, green, and- "GLITTER!" Logan loved the books, both fiction and non-fiction, that came out during the season. After I recommended "A Christmas Carol", my personal favorite holiday novel, I soon saw him with his nose in many a Dickens book. Ro got to be as extravagant as usual in everything he did, wandering around the house singing whatever Christmas song that came to mind, even making up some of his own on occasion. It was really quite endearing, a trait I may have found irritating once upon a time. Even I was in a good place this Christmas season. This was my third Christmas with Roman. My mental health was in better condition than it had been in ages. It's just something about this time of year. There are happy people everywhere, it's contagious. The smell of mint is invigorating, and the mere thought of coming home from a crisp December outing to a warm, welcoming mug of hot chocolate filled me with joy. Plus, the perfect excuse for mint chocolate. Priorities.

It was a joy-filled morning for all of us. As opposed to the usual, which was me begrudgingly dragging myself out of bed at half past noon, we were all jolted awake by Patton's shouts of delight. "Come on, it's Christmas!! It's Christmas, come on!!" his sing-song tones rang through the house, forcing us all out of bed. The sun shone through the window, reflecting off of pristine white snow. I poked Ro until he was grumbling, and got out of bed to stumble downstairs and enjoy our morning.

~later~

I smiled down at the book in my lap, good memories from early that morning already associated with the beautiful cover. Cracking open the spine of a good book was the best feeling. I settled into the corner of the couch, hot chocolate with me as I opened the book. The first sentences were so familiar that I barely had to read. The chapter slid by so easily it was over before I knew it. On the last page, there was something odd. A fluorescent pink square stuck on the page. A sticky note. In confusion, I reached down and pulled it off. In Roman's distinctly elegant script, it read "Hey there pretty boy. One chapter a day?" I couldn't keep the smile off my face.

I put the post-it on my mirror before I went to bed, excitedly awaiting the next day. Each day went by, another note, another helpless smile. It was hands down the best gift I had ever received. Soon there were a collection of pink sticky notes on my mirror, ranging from a simple "you're adorable" to a terrible haiku about my hair. No matter what, they made me happy and left me waiting for the next day. The anticipation was painful, as I normally finished books in a day or two, but this one had taken ages.

Finally, the day of the last chapter came around. There were tears in my eyes as I turned the last page, moved to tears yet again by the ending. I doubted I would ever get over it. The bright corner of the final note showed itself, and I wasn't sure what to expect this time. I pulled it out from between the pages and gasped. "Will you marry me?" My eyes filled with tears and I put a hand to my mouth. I ran to Roman's room and found him sitting on his bed, looking nervous.

"Yes!" I cried, flinging myself into his arms.

"Yes?" He asked into my shoulder.

"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi so I'm still trying to familiarize with this website apparently my fanfic tendencies are less geared towards Ao3 and more toward Wattpad and tumblr. Shit. SO, If you enjoyed, I guess Kudos it? I have another book I'm writing on Wattpad that I might upload here. It's a continued story but we shall see.
> 
> A.Burr


	3. Ugh. (angsty fluff)

Hey just wanted to warn you, there's a fair amount of swearing and a very very small mention of self-harm. Super angsty so if you aren't into that, skip ahead a chapter!

"This is a total shitshow." I sighed. I let my head fall onto his desk in defeat. How am I supposed to tell him? There's no way I can do this. My breath quickened as I stared at the pile of pages in front of me, messy scribbles and scrawled words in black ink littering the papers. How could I, an anxious mess, tell Roman, a master of words, how I felt without fumbling and making a fool of myself? I needed to know what to say, have a script, but the words wouldn't come out. All I could think about was the day before when we were watching a movie and they got close, too close, his hand brushes mine, my face goes hot, I look down an-

"Virge? whatcha doin' in there?"

I snapped back to reality, jerking my head up to see Roman- oh no- standing in the doorway looking slightly concerned. 

"You look like you're in pain... Is thinking really so difficult for you, jack smell-ington?"

I quickly shoved all the pages to the back of my desk and not-so-subtly flung my arms over them in a poor attempt to cover them up. "Shut up, Ro."

"Oh, no snarky comeback? Something must really be wrong." A smirk graced his striking features as he took a few gliding steps towards me and leaned his hip on my desk, looking down at me hopelessly covering the papers I had poured my heart out onto. 

"What are these? They must be angst-ridden and..." He trailed off as his eyes flicked over the words on the sheet he had picked up. Shit. Shitshitshitshit. I drummed my fingers rapidly on the table, heart pounding, as Roman read it, seemingly deep in thought. There was nothing I could do now. If I fought him for the paper I'd just get flustered and easily overpowered. If I tried to confess I'd just get... well, flustered, and I'd inevitably screw it up and never look him in the eye again. All that I could do was sit there, the feeling of dread building up in the pit of my stomach, as he read intently.

What felt like an eternity later, he put down the paper and looked me in the eyes. We exchanged a long look that couldn't have meant anything. If so, I didn't see it. He straightened up, opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, closed it again, and walked briskly out of the room, very tense. I sat there with my jaw hanging open for a moment, unable to process what had just happened. It hit me suddenly, like a wave.

He doesn't like you.

He found out and he doesn't like you.

He thinks you're a creep.

He'll tell the others.

You'll never live this down.

You're pathetic. Becoming hopelessly infatuated with the well-groomed, eccentric, popular Roman. He could do so much better than you.

I slumped down on my chair, a shaky breath escaping my now-bleeding lips.

You. Pathetic,

Useless,

Ugly,

Terrible,

Annoying,

Unwanted,

STUPID

Virgil. He doesn't want you, doesn't love you, like you, even want to be your friend. Who are you kidding? Crazy, much?

I put my hands in my hair, tugging, trying to pull myself back to reality away from the taunting voices. Roman appears, jeering amid a crowd of unrecognizable people. His words hurt more than the ones I couldn't put a face to.

Who do you think you are? You? With me? In what fucking fantasy world would that ever happen to you, you emo loser. Trash. You probably cut yourself hoping someone will see it and pity you. Attention whore. 

I stared down at my shirt sleeves. I've never hurt myself. Never dreamed of it! I don't want their attention, only his. God, why did he have to come in here?! If he had just stayed-

You probably fantasize about me in your bed, me complimenting your shitty style and pathetic body. In your dreams, nightmare. In. Your. Drea-

A soft knock came at my door, forcing me out of the head-spinning thought I was buried in. I looked up and wiped my cheeks with my hoodie sleeve. When had I started to cry? God. 

Oh. Oh no. It was Roman. I shifted in my seat and tried to hide the tear stains that I could feel on my face. "What do you want" I mumbled, the sound muffled by my sleeve, which was pressed up against my face. I couldn't look him in the eye after what imaginary-Roman had said. But he was right, wasn't he? He could do so much better than m-

Roman hurriedly shoved a pile of papers toward me, dumping them in my arms. They were written in his perfectly even script, which used to infuriate me but I now found it... endearing. The pages were dog-eared and torn in places, not something I was used to from him. Sitting delicately atop the stack was an envelope made of yellowed paper and held shut with a red wax seal. Roman, extravagant as always. I rolled my eyes ever so slightly and looked up at him, expecting some explanation for the abruptness of this gesture. He refused to meet my eye, instead choosing to look at the floor and rub the back of his neck. Does that mean... the letter's for me?

Assuming that was a yes from the nonverbal Roman, I picked up the envelope and carefully broke the seal, pulling out a piece of paper that matched the rest in the pile. This one looked like it had been revised over and over, scratch marks evident and frustration clear as day on the page. Taking a deep breath and preparing for the worst, I began to read. 

The letter was beautiful. It spun a web around me, built a castle with his carefully thought-out phrases. The intention wasn't clear until the end when it became far more organic and natural. 

"I know you don't feel the same way about me. It's fine if you don't, but I really, truly like you, Virgil. In fact, I love you. Please don't take this to heart if it's unrequited. I understand.

He signed it as he normally would, with large, swooping letters, but the end seemed a little shaky as if he were afraid. I finished the letter with a tear in my eye, turning to look up at Roman, whose eyes widened at the sight of me. He took a small step back, afraid to see what my reaction to his confession would be. A rush of confidence flooded over me, and I stood up, moving toward Roman. 

"Wh-what-mmph"

His words were silenced as I pressed my mouth to his, pulling him closer into an embrace. He tensed up at first, as if afraid, then melted into my arms. I pulled away after a moment, but he took my face in his hands and pulled me back in for another, deeper kiss. It felt like nothing I'd experienced before, like the world was spinning around us as we finally admitted to feelings we'd been hiding for far too long. We broke the kiss, pulling back red-faced and giddy. I let out a small- what was that? A giggle? Eugh. I let out a giggle and looked into Roman's eyes, expecting him to say something, but all he did was smile. 

"Does this mean what I think it does, Ro?"

"Oh, that and much, much more."

What a sap. Ugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hahah so angst. Anyway this book is already at almost 100 hits and I'm shocked like THANK YOU!!  
So uh if you liked this please feel free to kudos and comment so I know, and I'll see you next time!
> 
> A.Burr


	4. Thin Walls- Fluff

Dear Emo neighbour whom I have yet to meet,

So I found out the other day our walls are really thin. Like really, really thin. It was really late one night, maybe 2am? I was up super late writing my latest screenplay. It's easier for me to work at night. I think it's something to do with the peace and quiet of it all. It's serene, nothing loud outside save for a stray dog barking every now and then. Maybe an occasional siren. Otherwise, the steady quiet and dim lighting makes it easier to create. Some of my best works have been done in the dead of night, fuelled only by coffee and passion. Anyways. I was burning off some extra energy in my room by dancing around ridiculously. Don't judge me, I have no windows and it helps me focus when I sit back down.

Moving on, I was dancing around to music in my headphones when I tripped over the arm of my couch and basically fell into the wall. From here, you will remember, but I feel inclined to tell my end regardless. When I fell, my foot connected rather unceremoniously with the wall and went through it. Violently. I landed hard, the breath knocked out of me, with my entire lower leg stuck on your side of the bedroom. I laid there for a moment before attempting to pry my leg out of the hole in the wall. In the second I was still, I could have sworn I heard a sob, but I brushed it off as the matter at hand- or leg- was far more important. I was very stuck. Calling out for help seemed silly at the time, as I didn't know our two bedrooms shared a wall. I struggled against the horrible drywall, but my leg remained unmoving. Forced to relent, I laid back in defeat, sighing loudly. That was when I heard a small snicker. It was barely a noise, a tiny snort that I questioned if I had even heard. I spoke out to the other side of the wall.

"Hello...?"

You didn't respond for a while. I wondered if I hadn't heard anything and began to struggle to free myself again when I heard a sniff and another small laugh. I heard your voice ring out from your side of the wall.

"Are you... stuck?" Your voice is clear and smooth, but it broke mid-sentence. You sounded sad. Almost as if you had been crying. I like your voice.

But honestly, no shit I was stuck.

"Uh, yeah. I am." I was embarrassed to have made such a ridiculous introduction into your life, but I really needed help. I heard shuffling and footsteps from your side. I remember you calling back over.

"How... how the hell did you do this?" There was a trace of amusement in your voice as if you were restraining a laugh. Offended but still embarrassed, I tried to get the exchange over with as quickly as possible.

"I... fell, okay? I fell. Care to assist?" I could hear the venom dripping from my voice and cringed at how mean I sounded.

No response.

I waited. That was understandable of you. "Uh... I'm sorry. That came out worse than intended. Are-Are you okay?" I still really needed my damn foot out of this wall but you seemed upset even before I said anything, and I don't like leaving people unhappy. You took a while to respond again. The guilt rose in my chest each second you remained silent. When you did respond, I felt an odd sense of elation flood over me.

"It's fine. How do I help?" You spoke shortly, coldly.

I fucked up. I knew you were upset already, but I had made it worse, and that felt like a kick in the gut. "Uhm. I- Could you push on my foot to try and get it back through the wall...?" I spoke hesitantly, knowing you were more than likely still annoyed with me. God, I wish I hadn't said what I did, especially not like that. I really wanted to know if you were okay. 

I heard you heave a sigh as if you were getting up, then- well you know all this but still- you grabbed my foot and said "Ok on three. 

one, 

two, 

three." 

I hissed in pain a bit as I felt the bits of drywall scrape against my leg. Small, hairline cracks spread from the point where my leg went through. I asked you to try again and heard a very undisguised laugh from your side of the wall. I rolled my eyes a little but braced myself this time. When you counted to three, the drywall strained under the pressure, and I kept pulling my leg back.

C R A C K

The drywall finally gave and my leg ricocheted back from the pull on it. I caught myself right before my knee came into-rather unpleasant- contact with my nose. I looked back up at the hole in the drywall just to see a gaping opening into the next room. Your room. Enamored, I stared in through the gap and saw the room was painted a dark, rich purple with black accents. It was illuminated only by the soft orange glow from a string of fairy lights. Posters lined your walls, all for bands like Panic! at the Disco, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, and many others for which the logos I either couldn't make out or didn't recognize.

Don't ask me why I recognized those.

This was when I decided to dub you "emo". No one who isn't emo listens to MCR. Just sayin'. 

Anyway, I couldn't see you from where I was, so I sat up farther, wincing at my tender leg. I caught a glimpse of a black hoodie, a pale arm, a tear-stained face. You scrambled away as soon as you saw me, but I wish you would have stayed. Said hello, maybe. You had just saved my leg from its imprisonment in the weirdly torturous drywall, after all.

I wrote this mainly to thank you, to tell you how the night went from, well, my side of things. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. If you're up to it, I'd like to thank you in person. Maybe without kicking through your wall this time.

Yours truly,

Roman.

~~Virgil's POV~~

I smiled down at the page. It was a hilarious night. Yeah, I was upset before. It wasn't a rare occurrence. Something was usually bothering me, but I had no idea our rooms were so close to each other. I sure as hell was not expecting a leg to come crashing through my bedroom wall at two o'clock in the morning, but it was a welcome surprise that shocked me out of my vicious cycle of self-pity.

I was baffled when it happened, and just stopped and stared, unable to do much other than look on open-mouthed. It all happened exactly as "Roman" told it. He pinpointed almost exactly why I was responding in certain ways and why I wasn't. He said it all so well, with such beautiful and flowy sentences. He had said he was a writer, and he was damn good at it. I admired the penmanship as well. He had handwritten a note- no, a damn letter sometime between the hours of 3 in the morning and 8 when I had woken up and managed to toss it through the hole in the wall without me noticing. 

After the whole wall thing had gone down, I moved my desk chair, a large black leather one, over to cover the hole as best I could. Roman disappeared from the gap shortly after I had moved away from it, and I didn't hear anything else from him all night. When I woke up, there was a carefully sealed envelope sitting on my chair. It had no name on it, but considering it was in my apartment so close to the join between our two apartments, I'd have been surprised if it was anyone but my newfound ridiculous neighbor. It was a long letter printed carefully in flowing script. He signed it with large, extravagant letters that spelled out "Roman". No last name, no information, it was mysterious. Left me wanting more information. Clever.

I went to fold the letter again to return it to its envelope but paused when a smaller slip of paper fell out. It had the same script from before on it, but this time it was a phone number. My mind immediately ran through the million ways he could be pranking me or faking it, but before I could jump to a radical conclusion, I picked up my phone and opened a new contact. I punched in the number and named it "Roman?" 

oooohhh this is a bad idea...

I sent a text.

Hey. This is Virgil, your next-door neighbor. You know, the one who's wall you kicked in last night?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi so I'm posting twice today, keep in mind when I finish uploading the ones I've already written on Wattpad, uploads will slow down a fair bit. I can only get a chapter out every couple of days, seeing as I'm actually working on a full length original novel of my own. Uploads will likely slow more than that soon because of school starting in two weeks as well so I apologize in advance. Thanks so much for the insane amounts of support you guys have already shown though it's insane!!
> 
> Please kudos and comment if you liked this so I know, and I'll see you next time!
> 
> A.Burr


	5. Don't Look Away

A/N: This is a horror themed one but really is not all that scary so fear not; read on!

I was sitting in my room when it all started. I had an inexplicable sense that someone was watching me. Shaking it off, I continued to work on my drawing. A few moments passed. There it was again. The feeling of eyes on me. I turned around and scanned the room quickly. Nothing. Trying to focus, I plugged in my headphones and turned the volume up to distract myself. Still, the feeling that there was something with me lingered. The window popped into my mind. The heavy, sinking feeling of dread filled my stomach as I stood up, walking over to the window and peering through the dark curtains. The sun was low in the sky, and dusk approached. Through the dim light, I could make out a dark figure on the lawn. Standing. Staring. Unmoving. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him. His head was covered by... a burlap sack? It was hard to make out in the almost-dark. There was something glinting in the sun's final few beams. I squinted, looking closer, and made out what looked to be chains. He was wearing a tattered black and white tuxedo. It was a chilling scene. Something inside me clocked my eyes on him, and I felt as if when I took them off, something terrible would happen.

A sudden buzzing made me jump. I fumbled in my pocket for my phone. I slid my finger blindly on the screen, hoping to pick it up. When I failed time and time again, I flicked my eyes down to the screen for a split second. When I lifted the phone to my ear and looked back up through the window, I felt the bile rise in my throat.

He had moved. He was still on the lawn, but several feet closer now. About halfway from where he started to the house. It was only a second. How did he get that far? Once again, he was standing, unmoving, with his head tilted up towards me.

"Hello?" I tried to hide the shake in my voice.

"Hey, Virge. Patton's at the store and wants to know if you need anything. Says you aren't answering his messages." I relaxed slightly, realizing it was Roman when I heard the familiar voice.

"I don't. Need anything I mean. Hey Roman... are you at home?" My eyes were still glued to the figure. He had yet to move and was still staring at me intently.

"Uh. Yeah, why?" Confusion tainted his voice.

"Lock every door and every window then come up to my room please."

"Why?! What's going on?"

"Just do it. Please." I heard shuffling around downstairs and the click of our locks sliding into place. Soon footsteps came up the stairs. Still, the figure never moved. Just stared. Could he even see me through the bag on his head? I didn't know, just needed Roman. I heard him step into the room and stop in the doorway. Careful to keep my eyes stuck to the looming figure, I beckoned Roman towards me over my shoulder.

"Virge? What's going on?" I swallowed my fear and explained what happened, from the feeling of being watched to him moving closer. Each detail made my stomach heavier with dread. I stared at him, stared until every fiber of my being yearned to be rid of the horrid sight. I never stopped.

"Okay so. If you're staring at it, and I can do anything, what if I come to look while you take a break? You look stressed." Stressed is not at all the word I would have used there. If it hadn't been for the creepy-ass dude standing on our lawn and the threat that came along with him, I would have had a snarky comeback. Instead, I simply nodded my head in agreement and sat down on my bed. I tried to shake the feeling of horror, but I couldn't. The room was silent. Too quiet. It was only a matter of minutes before I stood to go look with Roman again. I gasped and my hand flew to my mouth when I got there.

He was gone.

I started screaming at Roman. "How could you look away?! I trusted you!! You're gonna get us killed!"

"What are you talking about?" His eyes remained where the figure was standing before. "It hasn't moved for me!"

Panic set in as I took a step back from the window, breathing quickly. I turned on my heel, ever so slowly, and screamed as I saw the figure in my doorway. It was so much worse up close.

The figure's suit was torn and covered in stains, ranging from bright green grass stains to the ashy dirt covering the rest of his body, to the rust-colored splotches of... blood. I could see now that the burlap sack covering his head had two small holes torn into it where his eyes should be. I imagined there had to be something in there, but all I could see through the tiny holes were black. The chains on his head were tight, cinching the bag around his head, and one went around his neck. There, what seemed like human skin festered and oozed around the chain which had evidently been pressing there for far too long. The worst part was the smell. I nearly passed out right then and there. It smelled like rot. Picture death as a smell, and magnify it. That is what he smelled like. On top of that was the suffocating, heavy stench of mildew. It was disgusting and I was terrified but determined to keep my eyes on him. "Roman?"

"Yeah, Virge? Are you okay??"

"I'm gonna move back and stand back to back with you. Mine is in here. I think there are two so do not take your eyes off yours. Okay?"

"Okay." I hesitantly stepped backward. Feeling no obstructions, I carefully toed my way back. Out of the blue, my foot caught on something. In a moment of panic, I looked at the floor as I fell to the ground. I hit hard, and the wind was knocked out of me. I realized quickly what I had done, and snapped my head back up to see the figure looming over me. I locked my gaze on the holes in its 'face'. No movement. For now, I was okay. Roman, however, had looked away at the sudden noise I had created when I fell. I heard a faint "Oh shit" and saw him step into my peripheral vision. He was fixated on the door. They were both in here now. My mind was racing as I sat, unable to move for fear of looking away again. It was too close. If I were to screw up again, it would get to me. How could I get rid of it? It couldn't move when I looked at it. Looking was something that had to be connected. Had it seen itself? Maybe a mirror. I slowly, carefully stood, not moving my head. I felt blindly for every marker of where I was. Finally reaching a standing point, I grabbed for the small standing mirror on my dresser. Finally, my hand wrapped around something cool and metal. I brandished it like a weapon, forcing the thing to look at itself.

It started to twitch. That was the most I'd seen it move while I was looking at it. Its head moved. A hand, a shoulder. Eventually, its whole body was convulsing violently, and it disappeared into a thick, gray cloud of smoke that wafted into the mirror. Free of the shackles it had put on me, I rushed over to Roman, followed his gaze, and pointed the mirror at it in front of his face. I couldn't see it but could hear the rustling as this one also began to writhe. Soon enough, the cloud of gray smoke rushed into the mirror. I smashed it against the edge of my dresser, hoping it would never be able to come out again.

Dropping the shards, I flung myself into Roman's arms, burying my face in the crook of his neck. I felt tears sting behind my eyes, and I let them fall.

"We're okay now." his voice broke too, and soon we were both wrapped around each other, crying and whispering words of condolence to each other.

We were never so distant after that hellish day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hi hello I have returned. This is based off of a horror short I found on YouTube called "Don't Look Away" and I just wanted to put it in writing and who better to write?  
Anyway if you liked this please do the kudos thingy and comment so I know if you'd like!  
Also go check out @sammysshoe for awesome content she's great.  
Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!
> 
> A.Burr


	6. Fake ;)

**A/N: Little bit of swearing in this one. Otherwise, enjoy!**

So this isn't going how I planned. My plan just got royally screwed up by Roman. We had been fake dating for a couple of months now, to piss off one of his exes. It was a weird request, I know, but I would do pretty much anything for him. That seemed unlikely based on our constant banter and name-calling, but we were pretty good friends. I could confide in him when I needed to, and he could come to me with his problems. His ex was a problem.

It was early, only about 9 am, when Roman came barging into my room, shaking me awake. I squinted, unprepared for the light shining through the gap in my curtains. I grumbled about "how bloody early it is" and rubbed my eyes, looking expectantly at Roman. I wanted a damn explanation for being woken up so early. I gathered my thoughts enough to mumble a gruff "what?" before he started rambling.

'My ex, that bitch James, you remember him right? Well, he's running around everywhere flaunting his new boyfriend- stupid whore- and I need to get him back. I _have _to. And I need your help. Virgil, please?"

The sound of desperation in his voice was too much. I couldn't handle it. I hated James. He messed Roman up, bad. There were too many nights of him crying on my shoulder for me to possibly say no. That asshole had Roman convinced he was nothing. Worthless, ugly, gross, inconvenient. I would do pretty much _anything _to get back at him for what he had done. Boy stuff wasn't my thing. I hated it, but Roman needed my help. I readily agreed. I was too tired to argue regardless.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!"

"Mhm...", I responded, still wiping the sleep from my eyes, "What do you need me to do?"

Roman looked a little abashed. He glanced downward, then back up at me. "I need you to pretend we're dating."

Woah. My jaw dropped. That was _not _what I was expecting, to say the least. I mean, I was definitely awake now, I'll give him that. What was I supposed to say? No? And leave him hanging? Forget that.

"Uh... yeah sure I guess."

A huge grin split Roman's face and he let out a small laugh of excitement. "Okay. So it won't be for that long, and then I need you to publicly break up with me."

"Fair enough." Gee, what could _possibly _go wrong with that? He continued to describe how it would work. We would post on social media about each other, hold hands in public-nothing we weren't both comfortable with- and otherwise act like a perfect, inconspicuous couple until James was noticeably pissed off. Then, a few months into our endeavor, preferably on our "anniversary", he would take me out to dinner somewhere we knew in advance that James would be. There, I would cause a scene, and _very _dramatically break up with Roman, leaving him in the restaurant alone. I wasn't quite sure how that would work in his favor, but he had to have his motives.

Things went as planned for a while. We went out in public, which was absolutely not my favorite thing to do, and we posted about it. Again, not my preferred way to spend time. We got our "aww" moments, and people on Roman's Instagram freaked out and spent their time commenting "uwu", whatever that means. Even Patton and Logan were convinced we were dating. When we 'told' Patton, he quite literally squealed and jumped for joy.

"I KNEW IT!!"

Uh, what?

I soon found out that pretty much everyone we knew had hoped we would get together from the beginning, which was slightly uncomfortable for the two of us, seeing as we _weren't together. _Regardless, we continued to fake-date, making it as authentic as possible.

One day, Roman forced me out of bed far earlier than I liked getting up (again), and dragged me out to the mall. The driving force that got me moving was his promise to let me go to Hot Topic. It was the only store in that stupidly bright and colorful mall that I could actually tolerate. I know, it's a stupid stereotype, and I sound cliché right now, but whatever.

Anyway, we were walking through the mall, and all that was on mind was going home. There were excessive crowds that Roman naturally dragged me through time and time again to get to his favorite stores. We walked shoulder to shoulder with our hands interlocked most of the time. It rendered me incapable of doing pretty much anything, and it was slightly infuriating. Roman stopped walking suddenly, pulling on my arm so hard I stumbled backward.

"Ow! What the he-" I was cut off my Roman grabbing me by the waist and pulling me into a kiss. I was caught off guard and tensed up, my hands on his chest in between us, but realized that it... wasn't so bad. I relaxed into it, closing my eyes and letting him kiss me, still wondering _why. _After a moment, he pulled away, his forehead still on mine, breathless. Like I said before, I hated romance, but that was the best kiss I had ever had. And it wasn't even real. Great. I opened my eyes and looked around, seeing James walk by with a tall blonde boy. Taking a step back from Roman, I started toward him, cracking my knuckles. He grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me back.

"That was enough. You should have seen the look on his face!" Roman was giddy, he could have been jumping for joy.

That day in the mall stayed with me, a bittersweet memory. It was a great moment, and I would be lying if I told you I didn't like it... a little. But it was all fake. He didn't mean it. I brushed it off like I always did.

After a while, Roman was really getting on my nerves. In the weeks leading up to our pre-planned 'breakup', he was doing little things that he knew made me angry. He would make me go out early in the morning, chew _loudly _with his mouth open at meals- this usually resulted in an "oh _honey, _your pet peeves are so _cute!" _his voice all the while dripping with venom- and barging into my room unnecessarily without so much as knocking. I was getting tired of it. Around a week before the day I was to break up with him, he ran into my room at _seven o'clock in the morning. _I would never dream to wake up then, let alone interact with another human.

"Virgil!! Wake up, we're going out!!"

I rolled over in my bed, grabbing a pillow and covering my ears. "No."

"Virgil, come ON," his muffled voice chimed over the pillow barricade, "it'll be fun!"

Nothing is fun at 7 in the morning. Nothing.

I didn't respond this time, so Roman jumped on my bed and pinned me down with a knee on my back, ripping the pillow away from my head. I grumbled loudly in protest and threw another pillow at his head. It made contact, but instead of deterring him, apparently, that was just antagonistic. He kept going until I threatened to cut off his... uh, yeah. He left after that. That morning was the last straw for me, and I had the perfect idea for my revenge.

The night of our breakup rolled around, and I got ready for the night. I put on a black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows, and a red tie. I put on a pair of plain black dress pants and my favorite combat boots, really feeling the Gerard Way vibes I was channeling. I combed my hair back from my face a bit and held it there with some old hair gel from my cupboard. Normally I would have just let it loose to do its own thing, but this was a "special occasion."

When I was ready, I trailed downstairs to find Roman sitting on the couch in a full red tux. It was rather extra for a simple night out, but I didn't care. There was a certain expensive look to it that one had to appreciate. A black tie over a white shirt accompanied the red suit jacket and pants, and he was wearing black dress shoes as well. I realized later that evening while pondering the night's events that he looked like the Brendon Urie to my Gerard Way. It was kind of awesome. An emo dream come true if you will.

We got to the restaurant a little before our reservation was set, but we were shown to our table right away. It was right across from where James and his stud of a boyfriend were sitting. I'm still not sure how Roman found out the exact whereabouts of his crazy ex at that point in time, but it was not my main concern at that given moment. We ate, and Roman did so disgustingly, so I'll spare you those details. Soon after, we ordered wine and sat for a while, waiting on dessert. I saw this as my opportunity and stood up, feeling in my pocket for the small box. I smirked inwardly as I pulled it out and sank to one knee.

"Go with it or you'll seem like a total douchebag. Roman, _love of my life, _my best friend, will you marry me?" I said, in a voice too quiet for anyone nearby to hear. There was a flash of annoyance in his eyes, and I had to hold back a laugh. I was fucking his plan up _so bad. _A split second later, his eyes filled with tears and he took the ring- a bad fake I had bought on Amazon a few days prior, but it worked- and slid it onto his finger. I stood and we hugged. He whispered in my ear, breathy and almost silent, "I'm gonna kill you for this." I snickered faintly in response.

We took an Uber back home, and the second we arrived Roman cut the pretense, shooting a dirty look at me and storming off to his room, while I broke down into a fit of laughter. Minutes passed, and I stumbled up to my room, unable to see right with tears of mirth in my eyes. I wandered into my room and flopped on the bed, hoping for a full night's sleep without any Roman-based interruptions for once.

I got my sleep, but what came the next day was quite the surprise. I woke up at noon, confused as to why Roman hadn't come to bother me yet. I meandered to his room, knocking on the door, which was ajar, before walking in. He was sitting on his bed with his laptop. I snuck up behind him as he hadn't looked up when I entered, and saw what was on his laptop.

"Wedding bouquets and venues"

Roman finally looked up at my face of shock and horror with a broad smile on his face. "Oh, we are so doing this."

Well, shit. This backfired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello this here is further proof I am not above using tumblr prompts. Romance really isn't my strong suit but I'm tryin' so cut me some slack. Anyway here's this see ya later.
> 
> If you liked this please kudos and comment so I know, and I'll see you next time!
> 
> A.Burr


	7. I Swear!!

**A/N: Little bit of swearing. Blink and you'll miss it. Enjoy!!**

"Okay, so this place is haunted? Like, you know for sure?" Roman called over his shoulder, not looking up from the flashlight he was tinkering with.

We were headed to the old mall across town to see if we could find anything cool and catch it on camera. The place wasn't closed down, but there were so few visitors and so many of the big chains had moved to the new mall that security was pretty lax. I'm pretty sure the cameras they installed- in literally two places- didn't even work.

"Yeah, there are tons of reports on blogs and stuff, and even some people I know in real life have said they've seen some pretty crazy stuff here."

The mall was supposedly built over an old graveyard from the early 1800s, and the spirits weren't super happy about it. Many of the blogs said that a recurring sight was a woman who looked to be about 20 wandering about looking very confused. When asked if she was lost, she would simply disappear without warning. Normally I'm pretty skeptical of things that blatant, but it was reported across a whole bunch of sources and since it was right across town there was no harm in checking it out. Roman scoffed at my response and I ignored him. He was a huge skeptic and didn't believe in the paranormal unless he saw it for himself. There was one time where he claimed he saw something that couldn't be explained through any logical or scientific reasoning. Since he had spent his whole life trying to tell me I was crazy, I believed him when he was worried.

We came armed with video cameras and flashlights, as well as anything we could think of as "protection". Me, being well-versed in the paranormal- it's my weird boredom hobby- brought a pocket full of salt. Roman insisted he didn't need anything.

It was difficult to talk him into coming with me. He thought (and still thinks) that I'm crazy and there's no reason to go break into some stupid mall. He's all about 'what's in it for him', and what he can get out of any given situation. He's kinda self-absorbed, and we bicker a lot, but we've known each other for our entire lives. Sometimes I find myself-

"Helloooo?" I was snapped out of my reverie by a hand waving in front of my face. "Are we _ever _gonna go in there or am I gonna stand here with a flashlight until I rot?" That... that's Roman for you. Impatient as ever. I shot him a glare and walked toward the decrepit building. It honestly looked like it was falling apart. It made complete sense why the big stores switched to the newer mall. I couldn't think of a single reason to come here and shop, even if there wasn't a secondary option in town.

I mean, I hated shopping regardless, but still.

There was paint and siding chipping off the poorly done outer walls, and the large glass doors were foggy and stained. The automatic function ones had stopped working sometime a few years prior, but the normal doors on the other side of the entryway were unlocked. I swung the door open and gestured rather eccentrically for Roman to go first. He scowled at me but walked in anyway.

"Ladies first," I muttered under my breath.

"What?"

"Nothing." I bit back a laugh and entered, making sure to avoid letting the door slam.

The mall was dead silent, an odd sight even for such a dilapidated place. It was relatively well-kept, save for the occasional missing store sign or dirty patch of floor. Roman and I both had flashlights, and I had originally planned on leading the way. He refused to let me walk in front, though, so I ended up trailing behind because I had to "watch our backs". 

Since Roman and I had been friends for so long, we knew practically everything there was to know about each other. We knew our favorite foods, family issues, darkest fears, everything. We didn't have much to hide...

Except that I might have the tiniest little crush on him. MAYBE.

There was really no time when it started. I just sort of looked at him one day and felt something different. Butterflies in my stomach, heat spreading across my face. It didn't help that we were so close we did ridiculous stuff together all the time. Stuff that makes people look at you and go "oh those two are a couple!" He'll fall asleep on me, I'll pick a play-fight with him in public, it's a back-and-forth that never ends and always leaves me kind of wishing for more. It's pathetic, I know.

"I'm not seeing anything, Virge. Can we just leave?" Roman sighed. We'd barely been in there for five minutes!! I let out an exasperated sigh and moved in front of him, scanning the surrounding area. It was darker in some places than others, quieter. I swung the flashlight toward one of these areas and the flicker of a shadow made me jump. 

"Jesus _fucking christ" _ I hissed, catching my breath when I realized it was just a spiderweb casting a shadow that moved in the breeze we created. Roman stepped into view from behind me, a concerned but amused look on his face, as if he were holding back a laugh. I shot him a dirty look and kept walking, my face growing hot. That. That was embarrassing.

As we wandered the desolate mall, I saw many more little shadows and heard a few tiny scratches, but I steeled my nerves and kept it to myself for fear of never living it down. We walked past the empty space where the Hot Topic used to be, and I smiled inwardly at the memories from there.

_It was a warm, sunny day, and Patton had dragged us all to the mall for "bonding time". None of us really wanted to that day, but he insisted, so we went. Roman was naturally unopposed to clothes shopping, so he was off the second we walked in. Logan was uninterested in the crowds and useless items, so he wandered off to the bookstore. Patton gave up and went off to the pet store, making it very clear we were to meet back here at 4 pm. I was left alone in the middle of the midday mall crowds but somehow navigated through them to the Hot Topic, where I could at least be free of the crowds. I know it's cliche, the emo kid running off to the emo store given the chance, but it was oddly calming. I found a few t-shirts and a new hoodie that I liked, and was off to pay when I heard them calling my name. Roman rushed in first, followed by a worried-looking Patton and Logan with an armful of books. I looked at my watch. 4:43. Oh shit. I hurriedly explained that I had lost track of time while Roman and Patton caught their breath, explaining together that they were _so _worried and I should have told them. I cracked a small smile and got several confused looks. They didn't know it then, but that was the first time any of the other three had expressed concern for me, or even pretended to care I was gone. It was a good day. Sometimes I think-_

"I thought you said this place was haunted, Virgil," Roman whined.

"It _is _haunted, I swear!" 

"Yeah, and I'm _ugly_." He ran a hand through his well-groomed hair, silently challenging me to respond. 

"Uh- y- I- hm." I completely and utterly failed to come up with a comeback for this, and instead pulled a face and muttered something about "your mum". Ten out of ten Virgil. Nice one. Roman arched an eyebrow and looked at me confusedly. That was painfully embarrassing. I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose for a moment, lamenting my incompetence. 

BANG!

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I screamed- like a girl- and stumbled back, looking for the source of the noise. There was nothing around. Roman hadn't dropped anything, and there was nothing. Just black. The flashlights were off. I kept moving backward, trying to keep my footing- _OW. _I stepped on one of the lights and rolled my ankle, collapsing backward before I was caught by something. Arms wrapped around me, hoisting me back up to my feet. What...? I fumbled in my pocket for my phone, turning it on and illuminating the place slightly. I saw the flashlight I tripped on, the one I dropped, Roman's arms holding me up, and- _wait, what?!_

I struggled free of his grip and knelt, looking for the flashlight. I found the one I had fallen over and flipped the switch. A dim, flickering light came on. The batteried must have gotten knocked out of place, so I hit it off the ground and fixed the beam of light. Turning around and standing, I saw Roman looking at me, wringing his hands with his eyes wide. I forced out a very quiet "mmthanks" and grabbed the other flashlight, handing it to him. We brushed hands when he took it from me, and all I could think was _hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn _while I shoved my hand into my pocket and turned away before he could turn the light on and see the blush spreading across my face. _This _was arguably scarier than any ghost in the mall, but I had pushed for way too long to leave now. I kept walking, watching my step for any fallen debris that could trip me up again.

We walked the entire extent of the mall twice before deciding to call it quits. We hadn't said a word since my... fall, and I really just wanted to go home and hide in my room until I could repress the memory as much as possible. 

You know what? Fuck it. I clearly have no dignity left _whatsoever_. I had an idea.

I naturally walked faster than Roman, always had, so I picked up the pace a little, making it around the corner to the entrance a few moments before he did. I braced my back against the wall, listening to his footsteps as they neared. Closer, closer, rounding the corner, _now. _

"AAH!!" I jumped out from my spot in the shadows at him, praying this would work and that I wasn't making even more of a fool of myself. Roman shrieked and fell backward onto his ass, sending me into hysterics. He quickly realized it was me and stopped freaking out, but the initial reaction was enough. I was doubled over in laughter, tears falling from my eyes. Soon I was on the floor too, clutching at the stitch in my side. It was way past excessive at this point, but I had to relieve the extreme tension from the night somehow. 

When I finally got my shit together and finished wheezing, I dried my face with a sleeve and looked over at Roman, who was glaring at me. My heart sank for a moment, thinking I had actually upset him, before he cracked a smile and snorted a bit, clearly trying not to laugh. The sight of this made me giggle again, and before I knew it we were both dying again. 

It was ages before we gathered ourselves and stood up shakily, pains in our stomachs and mirth in our eyes. The sky was lighter when we made our way outside. It was almost dawn, and now that I was slowing down, I was bloody exhausted. I stifled a yawn with the sleeve of my hoodie, but Roman took notice.

"I can drive home if you want." He put a hand gently on my shoulder and led me to the car, opening the door for me. I was too exhausted to care at this point, so I just let it happen. He walked around to the other side and got in. I don't remember much after the car started. The smooth motion and constant noise lulled me to sleep.

I opened my eyes when the car came to a stop, noticing I was leaned pretty far over in my seat. My head was on Roman's shoulder, but I didn't want to move. It was warm here. Comfortable. We stayed like that for a minute before I knew I had to get up and go inside. I wished him a soft "goodnight" and went inside straight to my bed, where I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow. My dreams were good that night.

~~~~days later~~~~

I opened my camera roll to pull up a screenshot I had taken of a dad joke for Patton. I narrowed my eyes when I saw tiny thumbnails for photos I didn't remember taking. I turned my screen slightly to avoid prying eyes and clicked on one. It wasn't well lit, and took me a moment to recognize as the car. It was me, asleep on Roman's shoulder, while he made stupid faces at the camera. I swiped through them, five in all. Sticking his tongue out, eyebrows raised, looking at me, eyes crossed, and a peace sign. I couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face as I added them to a folder entitled "to print".

"Whatcha smilin' at, kiddo?"

"Oh, nothing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes I'm still copying and pasting from Wattpad but I CANT WRITE RIGHT NOW and it's driving me CRAZY. Ugh.
> 
> Please do the kudos thingy and comment if you liked this. Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!
> 
> A.Burr


	8. Shiny Mornings

**A/N: Stick through the pretty words about mornings for one of my elusive kissing scenes. It took a lot of conviction to write so appreciate it, damn you.**

(Virgil's POV)

I thought nobody was home. Honestly. Patton was out with Logan getting groceries for the house, and Roman was shopping with some of his friends that I didn't know. In a sense, I was relieved to hear that they were going out for a while. I didn't ever think that in a malicious way, I just needed some time to recharge. I lived in a house with three other colorful personalities and had very little time to myself without any of them being a bother. I loved them all dearly, but they were bloody annoying sometimes. Today, while I had the chance, I was gonna take a shower.

I didn't like showering when the others were home, because somehow, no matter when, someone would come banging on the door because they needed something or I was 'taking too long' or 'leave some hot water'. When I had to, I did, but it was days like today, when I was home alone, that I got to enjoy a good shower.

I rolled off my bed where I had previously been sitting and grabbed my things, headed for the bathroom. I walked in and shut the door, locking it, before realizing I had forgotten the most important thing- my speaker.

Nobody could complain about my music when they weren't there, so I took these opportunities to _blast _whatever my heart desired at that given moment. Today, it was a good playlist I spent hours putting together. It consisted mainly of My Chemical Romance and Motionless in White, with some other bands thrown in the mix for some spice. You really can't go wrong with Danger Days, although many argued it was a bad album. I rushed back into my room and grabbed my speaker, turning it on as I strolled back to the bathroom and turned on the water.

It was one of those mornings. I woke up easily to the sun shining through my window and was immediately well-rested and awake. It was a rare occurrence, but when it did happen, I was instantly in a good mood. I called those kinds of days 'shiny mornings'. It made sense to me. They were happy, and everything seemed to glisten with a perfect, untouchable sheen of utter delight. Those days were the days I could bear to see the world. I admired the small beauties in life. I could feel good about myself, forget the horror show that is our planet, and just breathe. I could _breathe. _Clean inhalations of crisp morning air, eyes closed and mind open. These were the days I wasn't burdened. These were the days I was really, truly happy.

That particular 'shiny morning', I wanted loud guitar and screaming vocals with a side of hot shower. I connected to my speaker, listening to the ever-familiar beeping noise it emitted when it paired to my phone, and selected my playlist, unable to keep a grin off my face.

I never sang in front of people. Not even when there was the slightest chance someone could hear me. To me, singing is such a raw and vulnerable expression of you that to hear it without consent is exposing and scary.

That, and I'm not confident in my singing ability.

I'm not _bad, _per se. I can hold a tune and hit some notes, but I'm no Brendon Urie. That doesn't stop me from singing at the top of my lungs when I know no one can hear, though. I took the liberty of being alone and jammed out to my favorite songs while the water ran through my hair and down my face. My day went from happy to giddy, childish excitement as I showered, singing with all the greats.

The lyrics were so drilled into my head that I just let my mind wander as the ingrained muscle memory kept me singing. I thought of the concerts I wished to see, the sheer joy that rushed through me at the thought of so much as making eye contact with those I idolized. I dreamed of creating something that could make it big in the world. Something that resonated with people and could change them.

Soon after, my train of thought shifted to smaller things. The things many people left behind, unappreciated. I smiled around the lyrics my lips formed, thinking of the smell from healthy trees. Walks in the woods, one vibrant flower standing alone in a bed of green foliage. I was in a wistful place, turning thoughts over and over again, examining them, loving them, cherishing them.

I thought of friends and the brilliant times we'd had together. The long days sitting outside talking until the sun set, and then some more until it rose again. I thought of Patton and his hilarious jokes that so many hated. I thought of Logan and his endearing attempts to keep up to date on internet slang. I thought of... Roman.

He insulted me often, kept me humble, but we really were close. Ever since the four of us moved into an apartment together, we had bonded so strongly nothing could tear us apart. Roman had pulled me out of some tough times in my life, and no words I had ever said truly expressed how much he meant to me. We were so close, people thought we were dating sometimes. We shrugged comments off, laughing and saying things like, "He wishes." It wasn't long before I felt the seed of a crush planted in the pit of my stomach.

He was amazing. Strong personality, eccentric, funny, and empathetic. Roman knew what to say and when, and knew my every move and what I was feeling. I loved Patton and Logan dearly, but Roman knew _me. _There were days when I wished I could tell him I loved him, but not as friends. I loved him. I was cowardly in that sense though, so I tamped those thoughts down and focused on the warm fuzziness that flooded through me every time his name was brought up in conversation. The smile came back to my face, and I tapped my foot to the beat of "DESTROYA"

(Roman's POV)

The mall was boring, my friends were boring. It was _boring. _I ditched them and went back out to the bus stop, climbing on the next on headed to our apartment. I found an empty seat and slumped back into it, plugging in my earbuds and putting on the cast recording of "Hamilton", one of my favorite musicals of all time. My mind wandered to the cast, to singing, to friends, to Virgil...

Before I knew it, my stop was nearing, and I got off one ahead so I had a couple of minutes to walk home and clear my head. It was a quiet street in a nice neighborhood, so I could just take in my surroundings. A child's bike abandoned on their driveway, chalk strewn across the asphalt. A neatly trimmed yard, each flowerbed laid out with a designer's eye. The savory smell of cooking meat wafted through the air. Someone was having a barbeque.

Things were a little different when I neared the apartment complex at the end of the street. The buildings were tall, penthouses reaching for the sky, dizzying if you looked straight up the side. I loved the place.

Our door was locked, so I unlocked and opened it to an empty apartment. Patton and Logan were evidently still out shopping, but Virgil was supposed to be home. "Hey, Virge?" I called, closing the door behind me. I paused, listening for a response. I could hear running water and realized he was in the shower. I moved to lock the door behind me again when I heard something accompanying the water. Was that...-voices? No, a voice. I smiled inwardly. Was he singing?

I put down my bag and made my way to the washroom. It definitely was singing. Damn, he was good. Entertained, I leaned my back against the wall between myself and the bathroom, trying to identify the song. It was heavier than most of what I listened to. I strained, listening for an identifying lyric. When Virgil sang in time with the vocalist to "I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone", I recognized the song as Famous Last Words by MCR. It was one of his favorites, he played it quite a lot. My smile widened and I slid down the wall into a sitting position, listening to the concert he was putting on, unknowing of the audience.

(Virgil's POV)

I had been in the shower for god knows how long, and realized that the others would be home soon, so I turned off the water and got out. I couldn't shake the smile on my face. It was a genuinely good day.

I got dressed and went to open the bathroom door and leave when I heard a small shuffle from outside. I froze, hand on the doorknob, listening carefully. Nothing. I eased the door open and looked outside to see Roman standing just outside the door, red-faced and wide-eyed.

"Jesus _fucking christ, _Roman!!"

(Roman's POV)

I spaced out, sitting by the wall, thinking. I had had a crush on Virgil for a very long time now. I wasn't sure when it started exactly, I just knew one day. The feeling I had when I saw him changed from platonic affection to a twisty knot in my stomach and stuttering speech. I was normally very suave around people, especially those I was attracted to, but this was different. It made things a little awkward, especially when we were next to each other during our movie nights or when the two of us would play fight the way we always had.

My reminiscing was rudely interrupted by the creaking of the bathroom door opening. _Shit. _I jumped to my feet and faced the door, a million excuses flooding my head as I came face to face with the source of the singing I'd been listening to.

"Jesus _fucking christ, _Roman!!"

I stepped back from the door with my hands up in defense. "I'm sorry-I-wasn't- agh." I gave up after a moment of stuttering that was of no use. Great. Virgil's mouth was hanging open, his eyes wide as he stared, appalled. He opened and closed his mouth a couple times as if to speak before he actually said something.

"How long were you standing there?"

"I- Not- I mean- Uh-" If I could form a coherent fucking sentence my life would be a lot easier right now.

"_How long were you standing there?"_

The shrill tone to his voice snapped me out of my incapacitating stupor.

"Not long, I think. I... ugh. You sing really well, by the way."

Now that I could _speak, _I realized what exactly was going on and felt my face grow hot. I looked at the floor and rubbed the back of my neck, my head spinning as I tried to figure out how to get out of this.

Virgil dropped his head into his hands, a towel draped over one shoulder. A muffled "hnnnnnnnnnnnnnn" came from between his hands. It was a moment before he looked up again, eyebrows furrowed, letting out a deep sigh.

"... Thanks, I guess? Why-" He paused, closing his eyes for a moment. "- why were you out here? I thought you were _out. _I was home _alone."_

_AGH. _"I got bored and came home. I could hear you singing, so I," I cringed at the words coming out of my mouth, "I sat here and listened for a while."

God, I sounded like an idiot. I was screaming internally and praying to anything that would listen that I could just _leave._

Virgil raised his eyebrows at me again. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die when he said, "W h y would you want to listen to _me?"_

I twisted the gold crown ring I wore on my finger, wondering if I was really about to do what I was contemplating. I couldn't make eye contact while I even thought about confessing. I glanced back up at his face to see an expectant expression and suddenly became very interested in the carpet I was standing on.

Taking a breath, I collected myself and chose my words carefully.

"Because... I like your voice, I like seeing you happy, and I like _you. _And no, not in the platonic way. I _like _you like you. I totally understand if it's unrequited. Just... I needed to say it. You astound me in every way. You are everything I aspire to be, aspire to have. I just..."

I trailed off, no longer filled with the desperate confidence I just had. The words weren't coming anymore, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to see how Virgil reacted.

It was silent. Too silent. I was sure I was about to be laughed at, scoffed at, something. I painstakingly brought my eyes back up to meet Virgil's, where I was surprised to see tears welling up. I looked at him quizzically, waiting on something, some way to tell what he meant. No words came, but I saw a spark of something in his eyes just a moment before he rushed forward and grabbed me by the front of my shirt, pulling me into the kiss I'd been secretly wanting all these years.

The world seemed to spin around us, shock making my eyes wide at first before I melted into it. His free hand strayed to my hair, entangling in it. I looped my arms around his neck, kissing back with desperate, passionate force.

We pulled apart after a moment, foreheads pressed together. I looked into his eyes, enamored by the depth and warmth emanating from them. We stayed like that for a while before I closed the already-small gap between our lips again. The second kiss was gentler, slower. I felt the tension ease out of him. I felt him smile into the kiss, and my heart fluttered. I didn't want to break contact, but we had to breathe after a bit. I kept my arms around Virgil and breathlessly asked, "So uh... not unrequited?"

He let out a soft laugh that I could feel against my face. "Not unrequited."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry it's been a while. My first day of school was today and it's been kind of a nightmare. Also I hate freshmen and I'm realizing how annoying I had to have been as one oops  
Someone please appreciate how insanely awkward I feel writing kiss scenes. AGH. But I promised a super grossly fluffy chapter, so here you go. I got a little carried away with the pretty imagery and stuff, but I wrote you guys a kiss so suck it up. Lmao.
> 
> anyway if you liked this please leave kudos and comment so I know, and I'll see you next time.
> 
> A.Burr


	9. The Not-So Elusive Emo Ro

**A/N: I cannot believe I am writing this as a chapter aghhh. It's based on a true story, BUT in said true story I was abso-fucking-lutely NOT pining after "emo Ro," and that is not his name. The real one is a huge dickbag creep. I just used the embarrassing story as a basic plot. **

**Also, this chapter is long and not too romance-y so I won't be mad if you skip it. NBD.**

This has gotten blown way out of proportion.

I should probably elaborate. So I'm a sophomore in high school, and I generally blend in with the crowd. I dress in dark clothes and my hair hides my face. I'm pretty much your generic Lonely Emo™. I have a couple of friends around the school, but I'm alone a good chunk of the time.

There are very few people here who are into the same kind of music that I am and who dress similarly to me, so those few stand out. One of them being a very attractive junior who I had never worked up the guts to speak to. His name, which I found out through some effective yearbook sleuthing, was Roman. This led to some rather effective Instagram stalking, which informed me that he was single, emo, and had a really cute dog.

Since I rarely spoke to anyone if I could avoid it, I became well-versed with what facets of social media disclosed the most information. Instagram was quite useful if you knew what you were doing. He had a public account- which made my life far easier- and his Snapchat was in his bio. I stared at it for a moment, contemplating adding him. I shook the idea off soon after, deeming it way too direct for comfort. Nope.

His tagged photos didn't reveal much aside from the fact that a lot of girls tagged him. Ugh, if this was another player I was gonna just go jump off a cliff. Apparently, douchebaggery was a trend now.

To backtrack a little bit, the first time I noticed Roman, I was visibly annoyed with the world. It had been a pretty bad start to the day and I needed some goddamn coffee before I murdered everyone within a ten-mile radius. The line in the caf at my school was _endless _that day, and I had a compelling urge to bang my head off the wall.

When I finally got to the front- it was 8 am, _why were there so many people- _I saw him. I saw ripped jeans and a denim jacket and it was like my Emo Senses™ were tingling. My general instinct was to just give them the standard acknowledging nod- which was usually reciprocated- then move on, but this was different. He was _attractive. _

Brown hair with a purple streak through it was brushed back from his face. A structured black denim jacket hung from his slender frame, a Green Day t-shirt underneath it. His jeans were loose and baggy, but to a respectable degree, which I deeply appreciated. It was getting excessive at this school. I saw way too much male underwear. He was wearing leather combat boots laced halfway up. My eyes trailed back to his face. He had a strong jaw and high cheekbones. His eyes were blue-gray and piercing. His-

I hadn't even realized I was staring until his eyes met mine. I was snapped from my weird trance of checking him out and hastily grabbed my coffee. I rushed out and made a beeline for my first class of the day.

It seemed that now that I'd noticed Roman, I couldn't get through a single hallway without almost walking into him. There was only one hallway to the common area of our school, and he frequented said hallway, coffee in hand, so it was a given that his locker was there. This theory was confirmed on one of the days I was roaming the halls aimlessly and saw him walking into the school from the bus doors and open his locker. I felt extremely creepy seeing him so often, but it was my school too. I couldn't do anything about it if I came across him a few times.

A few turned to many. There were some awkward "this hallway is jammed cause these kids are idiots so now I'm stuck behind you" moments where I wanted to make myself very small, but I quickly got used to seeing his face in between classes. 

Things got a little weird when everyone was standing outside at the end of the day waiting for our buses to show up. I wasn't sure if mine had come and gone yet, so I was scanning the crowd of students for the familiar faces of the people on my bus. Among the throng was a familiar face indeed, but not the one I was looking for. Roman stood out from the rest, mainly because he was looking right at me. We made brief eye contact and my heart skipped a beat. I looked away immediately on instinct and stepped behind one of the people in between us to break his line of sight. That was odd, but it was a coincidence, right? 

~

The next couple of days went by without incident. It became a daily habit of mine to make note of what was happening with Roman. It was a little creepy, I knew that, but it's not like I was weird about it. I just saw things in passing. I discovered that his first-period class was right next to mine after a few days of us walking awkwardly down the same hallway. 

Sometimes I wondered why we kept seeing each other. I wasn't keeping a special eye out, and I never ran into anyone else that much. One time, I was sitting in English, my homeroom for the semester, biding my time until class started. I was still groggy and sleep still clouded my eyes, but I was snapped awake when Roman walked in, wearing the same black jean jacket as when I had first seen him. He stopped when he saw us, then looked around, confused. I slid down in my chair, trying not to be seen, but his eyes landed on me nonetheless. I watched him turn, mutter something like "wrong class" to the teacher, and walk out. 

_Hnnnggg whyisthishappeningg _

After class, I was standing by my locker, which was directly across the hall from my English room. I always stalled there before going to my next class, talking to friends and the like. This time was, once again, awkward as hell. I was literally just standing there, minding my own business, when he walked by, into the same room I had English in the previous period. That made a lot of sense, and I uttered a quiet "ohhh." 

"What?" Logan- a friend of mine- inquired, looking at me quizzically with his head tilted a little to the side. 

"Oh, nothing."

"Uh, ok. I have Business now, so I'll see you at lunch!"

"Alright, bye!" I said as he walked away. I turned and left for class, shaking my head in an attempt to rid myself of the Roman-related thoughts.

~ 

My discovery of his second-period class was set in stone when I was in French making crêpes. A weird time for these discoveries, I'm aware, but it happened nonetheless. I was asked to bring a crêpe down to my English teacher, and I wasn't gonna say no and have to explain that the dude I'm accidentally stalking is in that class. I took it down after forcing two friends to come with me and knocked tentatively on the door. The second it was answered, they ran away giggling to hide in the stairwell. I made a mental note to give them Hell for it later. 

The teacher opened it, confusedly looking down at the rather lame-looking plate in my hands. It was a simple crêpe with some basic toppings, and I really could not care less what it looked like when I made eye contact with Roman from the doorway. _Goddamnit. _I let my head fall forward in defeat. I really just wanted to go about my business, so _why couldn't I stop running into him?! _Before I could look away, though, he did something I could not have expected in any way. He winked at me.

I hastily gave the plate to my teacher and muttered something along the lines of "we'll come to get the plates later" before walking away, wringing my hands. I moved as quickly as possible away from the classroom, headed for the stairwell where my friends were hiding. 

He... _winked. _at. me. He winked at me? Mm-mm. Did not like the sound of that. I turned the thought over and over again in my mind as I walked. Did that mean he'd been seeing me, too? I wasn't just creepily stalking him- unintentionally, might I add? I knew we'd made eye contact a couple of times, but I didn't think he'd actually noticed my annoyingly persistent presence. 

~

That day pushed it over the edge, and I decided I was going to tell my friends about Roman, even if slightly toned down to seem like a light-hearted joke. It was the day following the winking incident, and I found my friends Patton and Logan by their respective lockers at lunch. 

"I have a story to tell you guys, but it needs to be outside." I couldn't run the risk of him finding us.

Patton seemed puzzled, but Logan had a look of understanding on his face. "Does this have to do with that day you were distracted and muttering under your breath before second period?"

I was taken aback that he'd even remembered that day. I had nearly forgotten we were talking. "Uh, yeah. It does actually."

I led them out to the empty football field. It wasn't in season then, so I was confident no one would come out and bother us. There, I relayed everything that had happened in vivid detail. I told them about the coffee line (to which Patton exclaimed that is was my 'coffee shop AU') and about the incessant hallway sightings. I explained how he'd walked straight into my English class by accident, and finally the delivery of the crepe. That was the most awkward part to explain by a long shot, and it earned the most reaction.

"He... winked? Are you sure he winked?" Logan asked, brows furrowed.

"Ohmygod _Virge you're blushing!! _You like him don't you? _Cmon tell mee!" _Patton's voice became an excited trill towards the end and I knew I needed to shut that one down _quickly. _

"NO, GOD NO. I don't. I swear. It's just weird. I just wanted to tell you."

This time, Logan piped up in response. "Well, we definitely can't call him by his real name while walking around here, so we need a code name. What is his real name, by the way?"

".......Roman."

Patton whipped out his phone and began typing giddily. "_This _Roman?" he said, holding his phone up to show the account I'd found weeks ago. I nodded, and Patton continued to push. "His Snapchat's in his bio! I'm gonna add him. Then I can talk about you!"

_Oh dear god, please don't. _

"That really isn't a good-"

"Too late!!"

_Damn it._

Logan was leaning over Pat's screen, looking down at something I couldn't quite see. "Emo... Ro...? What kind of name is that?"

Oh wow. Even I had to laugh a little at that through my embarrassment. The two of them were appalled at such a name, but I thought it was kind of funny. The same kind of self-deprecating humor I was so fond of. Patton opened the chat and started texting him. I couldn't bear to be a part of that and the sheer embarrassment I was feeling was too much so I went back inside. 

I was in my next class after lunch when my phone buzzed with a text. I was a little confused because normally nobody texted me while I was in class, but I unlocked my phone to see it was from Patton.

"He blocked me."

I snorted rather loudly and sunk down in my chair to conceal my phone.

"AHAHAH why?"

"idk I didn't say anything weird but my snaps r pending"

"LMAO"

I returned my phone to my pocket for the remainder of the class. When I took it out again as the bell rang, I facepalmed, reading Patton's more recent text:

"imma make a second account n add him"

I was too late to stop him this time, so I tracked him down between classes and made him promise not to bring me up. It successfully worked, with some veiled threats. It took a little bit of coaching, but they learned to be more subtle. "Jacket Man" became an inside joke between the three of us because of the way he dressed so often, causing some laughs where they weren't intended. 

I was in Art with Patton the one day, and we were goofing around as per usual. Emo Ro jokes became a part of our daily vocabulary, and it was rare a conversation went by without at least one reference. It left a lot of people confused and in the dark, which was more than fine by me. That day, another one of my acquaintances, Mary, inquired about the joke.

"So, who is 'Jacket Man'?"

I uttered a strangled "aaaaahhh" noise, while Patton happily began explaining. I kicked him in the shin to shut him up, but he protested. 

"Virge, it's fine if we tell one more person, right? Then more jokes. Besides, she won't tell anyone, right?"

Mary shook her head. I reluctantly agreed, not wanting to spoil their fun. Turning back to my work as Patton explained, I instantly began regretting letting him tell her.

"One more person" quickly turned to two, then three, then seven other people knew and were constantly taunting me with jokes, no matter where I turned. Soon, even Patton and Logan were making loud jokes in the common area and as we walked the halls. I tried to shut them up, but the two were chaos together, and I had nowhere else to go. I kept seeing Roman in the halls, and we made painful eye contact almost every time now. I began to suspect he knew, but I couldn't control it now if he did. I was even enjoying the jokes now, once even posting a reference to it on my Instagram account with the caption: "If you know, you know."

~

It was a rather pleasant day that all went to shit when I got back from lunch. The three of us had gone out to get food and came back to the school to eat. I sat down, a smile still on my face. That quickly changed when a notification lit up my phone screen. "Roman_9876 commented on your post: 'I know'". My heart dropped and I shakily passed my phone to Patton and Logan, who were sitting across from me. Looks of shock spread across their faces, and all I could say was "he knows."

Shortly after this incident, we were eating rather quietly. I happened to look up from my food at a very unfortunate time and made _direct eye contact_ with none other than Roman. I swear I have never reacted faster in my life. I looked away and back down at my food, suddenly finding my wrap very interesting. 

_He knows._

That thought would not leave my head. Every time I saw him in the halls, that's what I thought. "He knows." Nothing else. We would make brief eye contact if I was unlucky, I would look away, and we would go about our respective days.

Until one day, he stopped at my locker.

This has gone _way too far._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay so I cut myself off here because I shit you not I could ramble on about this stupid story for all eternity. I changed a whole bunch of things about it, mainly the fact that Virgil-representing me in the situation- is attracted to Roman. I feel an intense need to make it very clear that I AM NOT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. In real life, the dude in question was a huge creep who I accidentally ran into consistently until I told friends and they decided texting him would be a wonderful idea. It got blown way out of proportion, but not nearly in the same way as it did in the story. I will NOT write a part 2 to this cause it was PAINFUL, but I'll try to upload again sooner than last time. This was not easy to write XD. As usual, thanks for reading! Bye!
> 
> A.Burr


	10. Laser Tagging

"3, 2, 1, GO!"

We all scrambled off in different directions, seeking shelter behind the walls of the maze. It was Patton's idea to go laser tagging, but none of us were remotely opposed to the idea. We looked a little ridiculous, a group of four grown men hanging out in a Laser Quest frequented mostly by children from ages eight to fifteen. We barely fit into the jackets, but the nostalgia it brought back prevented us from giving up.

When the horn sounded, everyone scattered, cheers and screams of joy from the children as they swarmed together, looking for someone to shoot and more than likely miss. I looked at Roman, who was standing beside me and flashed him a sly grin before running off into the darkened maze. I found a pretty solid spot to camp out and wait for people to go by: A nook in a wall with a square cut out large enough to balance my gun on, looking for unsuspecting kids or friends.

I kept a diligent eye on the space behind me, preventing anyone from sneaking up. The kids ran around in hordes, so I was the asshole hiding up on top picking off the stragglers. Turns out I was better at this then I thought. I was particularly interested in shooting one of the particularly bratty children who ran in circles whining about how people kept 'getting him' and how it 'wasn't fair'. It was really freakin' irritating. Like how much of a spoilsport do you have to be? You're eight.

His face lit up as his gun began to work again, the time of deactivation having run out. I lined up my sights and nailed him right in the back. His face fell and he let his gunning arm drop to his side. I bit back a laugh, knowing harassing a child from afar really should not be that funny, but alas. It really was. I scanned for another target and found one quickly, but before I could shoot the light on my gun blinked out, then lit up again with the words: 'You have been tagged by: 'Princey'

I whipped around, searching for Roman. He used that nickname for pretty much everything just to spite me now. I caught a glimpse of the reflective stripes on a jacket whipping around the corner and I ran after him, hoping to catch him from behind as my time-out period ended.

The damn maze really was efficient, because I lost Roman just seconds after beginning the chase. I jogged for a second before slowing to a stop, pressing my back up against a wall so I could avoid being snuck up on again. I waited in dead silence, watching the walls in the direction where I had lost sight of him. I saw a flicker of movement and froze, waiting. It was way tenser than was rational, but I was enjoying myself so I wasn't gonna ruin it. Nothing. I shifted, freeing my trigger hand more so I could move quickly if he came out. Another flicker, and I could just make out his silhouette against the dim lights from the ceiling. In one swift movement, I moved my arms up, vaguely aimed, and pulled the trigger, cheering internally as I heard the little powering-down noise coupled with "_dammit!"_

I could see his face now, and winked at him before running back into the maze's depths. We had been good friends for a while now, and our jeering insults were always light-hearted in nature. This also translated into competitiveness in games, Laser tag apparently being one of them. The score was even, one-to-one, and I was not about to lose. I made my way back onto the second level, finding a nook in the wall to hide in. I realized this would be my doom if I was found, but I was pretty confident that I blended into the shadows. The sound of heavy footsteps- too heavy to be a child's - echoed by a couple of times, but nobody walked close enough to be in range. Then I heard footsteps move nearer and stop. Maybe at the corner of this wall? I edged closer toward the side of the little indent, careful not to make a sound. 

I peeked around the side, looking for a sign of Roman. There was nobody there. I slid back into my hiding spot, only to hear the announcement, "_Five minutes to go." _

That meant if I was going to win our little competition, I needed to act now. I hadn't heard the footsteps turn and walk away yet, so I stepped out of my hideout and back into the maze, walking toward the corner where I had estimated them to be. I kept close to the wall, crouched slowly. In reality, we probably looked ridiculous, like some poor knockoff version of a spy film.

As I reached the end of the wall, I slowed down, gun out first. I didn't even hear breathing, so I was more than likely in the clear. I poked my head around the corner first. Nothing. I muttered a quiet "o...kay." to myself before walking down the corridor in search of Roman.

I walked for a moment before a hand on my shoulder caused me to jump. I turned to see him very close to me. Dangerously close. He pushed me up against the wall. I tried to protest. "Wha- mph!"

My sentence was silenced by Roman pressing his mouth to mine in a kiss that told more than words could. I was taken aback at first, eyes wide and muscles tense, but I quickly relaxed into it., dropping my gun to the floor and closing my eyes, kissing back. It was... nice. He was the one to break the kiss, pulling away breathlessly. I opened my eyes as he took a step back. He raised his gun, pointed it at my chest, and fired before winking at me and walking away.

_W h a t?_

Just a moment later, the noise sounded that signaled the end of the match, and we were all to head for the exit. I meandered there, trapped in my own thoughts. Had that meant anything? Why? What was he feeling? How did he just walk away when I was stumbling over my own feet in an awe-struck trance?

None of my questions were answered before I reached the gates. I wriggled out of the jacket and placed it back on the hooks, heading out to the car. It was another minute or so before the others got there, Roman and I in the back seat while Patton drove and Logan rode shotgun. 

"So, who won?" Patton asked, looking at us in the rearview mirror.

"Hm?" I still wasn't registering anything.

This time, Logan answered. "He means the incessant competition between the two of you. Which one of you tagged the other the most times?"

At this, Roman happily piped up. "Oh! I did." I glanced over at him and he had a stupidly huge grin on his face. He caught me looking and winked. I felt my face grow hot and turned away to look out the window, still processing the day's events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm back... I think. I know it's been about seven hundred years but uh I'm bored so here!

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Okay so I originated on Wattpad and I have no clue what I'm doing on this site yet so bear with me please. If you liked, please do... whatever the positive thing one does on a chapter is here? Anyway thanks for reading and stay tuned for more.
> 
> A.Burr


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